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Most Creative Cocktails In Boston

January 30, 2013 6:00 AM

(Photo from Facebook)

Boston boasts bars and restaurants in every neighborhood, but there are stand outs amongst the many spots around town when it comes to cocktails. Poe’s Kitchen bartender Julian Manning and bartender Kevin Mabry of JM Curley bring you their favorite creative cocktail recipes. Whether you want to get in and enjoy the lively atmospheres their bars have to offer or create the cocktails at home, you won’t want to miss this.

Back Bay restaurant and bar Poe’s Kitchen at the Rattlesnake’s Julian Manning has shared three recipes it’s serving this season. Make or stop by and sip the quinoa martini for $12, featuring FAIR quinoa vodka, lavender and lemon, the royal sour for $11 with Crown, fresh sour mix, goji berry liqueur and brandied cherries, or the harvest marg for $8 with Cuervo Gold, McGillicuddy apple schnapps and fresh, apple, Champagne cider mix.

Cut the lemon twist over the martini glass. Drop your lavender and lemon twist in to a shaker with .25 oz of vodka. Muddle the lemon and lavender thoroughly but gently in to the small amount of vodka, then fill with ice. Chop the martini with a bar spoon and a strainer. Use a bar strainer to strain the cocktail through a tea strainer in to the martini glass. Garnish by floating a small lavender bloom on top.

Garnish with a lime and cinnamon/sugar rim. Combine contents in a shaker over ice and shake thoroughly. Pour into the cinnamon and sugar-rimmed margarita glass and serve. *Apple cider mix is four whole apples cored and cubed, 12 ounces of hard cider, six ounces of sparkling wine and a half cup of cinnamon sugar. Blend until lightly pulped and use in drink.

Muddle fruit and sugar in a shaker. Add whiskey, liquor and ice and shake. Strain into a rocks glass over fresh ice. Garnish with two small straws and a brandied cherry.

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About Julian Manning:
Julian Manning, bar manager of Poe’s Kitchen at the Rattlesnake, is an experienced and creative mixologist. At the Rattlesnake, locals love the famous Ghost Chili Margarita Challenge and his innovative recipes. But besides the Rattlesnake, Julian Manning is passionate about whiskey and the craft cocktail scene. He stays on top of drink trends and he predicts this year there will continue to be an interest in traditional drinks as well as gin and cognac-based concoctions.

Kevin Mabry of JM Curley shared three cocktails on his menu. First up, the 21 Temple gin and tonic for $9. He said: “The best seller on our cocktail list, named after our street address, is a take on a traditional gin and tonic, and calls for cinchona bark powder as the main ingredient.” He also shared the In Fashion, which he explained is “our take on an old fashioned substituting Averna for Angostura and the cherry/fruit component for the sour cherry lambic Kasteel Rouge.” And lastly, he shared the Skyfall, which is $12. “This seasonal play off the Vesper cocktail calls for smoked cinnamon and barrel-aged gin. The Berkshire Mountain barrel-aged gin has some amazing depth and baked spice tones that are enhanced with the smoked cinnamon. Most Vespers these days are shaken and diluted to office water-cooler quality, leaving no texture and little flavor. Stirring is essential. and the viscous Fair Trade quinoa vodka keeps the integrity of the drink intact. The two components are tied together with the Kina L’avion D’or, a take off the classic Kina Lillet formula that is the closest interpretation I’ve seen.”

Take a rocks glass and add ice and water to it. Add all of the ingredients to a mixing glass and stir thoroughly. Empty the rocks glass filled with ice water. Strain ingredients into a glass. Flame an orange peel over the top and discard the spent peel.

Torch a 1.5-inch piece of cinnamon on slate (a tempered plate will do) and place a coupe glass (or your preference piece of glassware) over the smoking cinnamon. As the glass is smoking add all of the ingredients to a mixing glass 3/4 filled with ice. Stir for 60 revolutions. Lift the glass and pour the ingredients over the smoke.

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About Kevin Mabry
Bartender at JM Curley, Kevin Mabry is a creative mixologist with skillful hands in creating the perfect cocktail. His is the kind of bar where locals flock after work for a stiff one. It’s also a cozy, but lively spot for other bartenders in the industry to meet up. This Dave Matthews band fan has years of experience because his family owned sports bars in the past, so he picked up a thing or two about the atmosphere and excitement the bar scene brings.

Michelle Levine is a creative energetic, young professional that is passionate about everything Boston has to offer. She loves to attend local events, dine out, and cook and wants to share her findings with you. Her work can be found on Examiner.com.